Turntable as used for display purposes and friction drive mechanism therefor



P 4, 1951 w. ODENTHAL 2,566,674

TURNTABLE AS USED FOR DISPLAY PURPOSES AND FRICTION DRIVE MECHANISMTHEREFOR Filed Dec. 24, 1948 Patented Sept. 4, 1951 TURNTABLE AS USEDFOR DISPLAY PUR= POSES AND FRICTION DRIVE MECHANISM THEREFOR.

William Odenthal, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application December 24, 1948, Serial No. 67,222

2 Claims.

This invention relates to turntables as used for display or otherpurposes and more particularly pertains to an improved friction drivingmechanism for such turntables.

One of the purposes of this invention is to provide a friction drivemechanism which is an improvement over and superior to drive mechanismsfor turntables heretofore used, in point of its comparative simplicity,compactness, strength, durability and safe and reliable operation overlong periods of use without requiring frequent servicing and replacementof parts as well as in consideration of the ease with which it may beinstalled, assembled and disassembled along with the turntable driventhereby.

The invention relates to friction drives of the kind having the entiredrive mechanism including the electric motor mounted on a supportingmember which is pivoted on a suitable base for movement about a verticalaxis and springurged so that a friction drive roller or puck as a partof said mechanism, is yieldably held against the track for driving theturntable so that the roller will slip should the turntable become heldor retarded against normal turning during the operation of the motor.

A further purpose is to provide a. drive mechanism of the kind describedin which the pivoted motor-supporting member and driving roller arepositively held against any vertical or angular movement out of fixedhorizontal planes, thereby preventing the roller, which tends to move upor down due to irregularities of the track and possible inclination ofthe turntable from a horizontal plane, from moving in this erraticmanner or possibly contacting the underside of the turntable, with theconsequences in either case of imposing an objectionable load on ordamaging the motor and associated parts as well as the pivotal mountingfor the supporting member.

A further important provision and objectof the invention is to provide acircular turntable having a base of similar size and contour so thatwhen the driving mechanism for rotating the turntable is mounted on thebase between it and the turntable proper the entire assembly may beturned on edge and moved about simply by using the turntable top andbase as wheels.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such other objects andadvantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in theparts and in the combination, construction and arrangement of partshereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated by way of example inthe accompanying drawing, in which:

r of true because of wear.

Fig. l is a perspective view of a drive mechanism for a turntable,embodying the present invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary part eleva- Referring to the drawingmore specifically 5 designates a circular turntable mounted to rotate ona central vertical axle 6 in bearing means l supported on a circularbase 8, said base being concentric to the turntable proper and havingthe same diameter as the latter so that when the driving mechanism forrotating the turntable is mounted on the base between it and the turntable proper the entire assembly may be turned on edge and moved aboutsimply by using the turntable top and base as wheels.

In accordance with this invention a platelike drive mechanism supportingmember 9 is mounted on the base 8 so as to swing on a pivot I!) locatedadjacent one extremity of the supporting member and has fixed thereon amotor ll, a gear reduction mechanism I2 driven by motor shaft l3, avertical shaft l4 journalled in and driven by the gear reductionmechanism, and a driving roller or puck I5 of resilient rubber or thelike fixed on the upper end of said shaft so as to be rotated in ahorizontal plane.

An endless circular track [6 is fixed in any suitable manner to theunderside of the turntable 5 and has a vertically disposed annularband-like portion I6 which is contacted on its inner side by the driveroller l5 to frictionally drive the turntable proper.

As a means for yieldably holding the driving roller in frictionalcontact with the track portion l6 so that the turntable will be drivenquietly and steadily and so that in case the turntable is retarded orheld against rotation while the drive mechanism is in operation, thedrive mechanism will not become damaged or deranged or the motorobjectionally overloaded, I

provide an expansion spring I1 for yieldably holding the drive roller l5against the track with suflicient force to cause rotation of theturntable but so that the roller will slip should the load become toogreat. The yieldable mounting of the drive roller also enables it todrive the turntable notwithstanding that the bearings of the turntableor shaft of the drive roller run out This spring is held and drivemechanism to damaging loads.

under compression between a keeper member 13' on the gear reductionmechanism l9, and a keeper member 20 on a bracket 2| fixed on the base8. With this arrangement when the turn table is stopped or retarded asabove noted the spring will yield and allow the member 9 to rotate morefully without jamming or damaging the drive mechanism or motor. Thespring I! will return the drive roller to frictional driving contactwith the track It when the turntable is released.

Means is provided to positively maintain the plate-like support 9 andthe driving roller I5v in fixed horizontal planes while affordinglimited horizontal movement of the member 9 on the pivot l0. This isessential, as without such means, the roller l5 tends to ride up or downon the track due to possible irregularities thereof or to tilting of theturntable or the normal resultant forces of a frictional drive of thisnature. and such irregular movement would place the pivot 10 underdamaging strains and stresses and possibly result in the driving rollercontacting the turntable proper and subjecting the motor sequently theaforesaid means as here shown. comprises a bar 2| welded or otherwisefixed at 22 at its ends to the base 8 in'such position that it will.overlie and contact the supporting member 9 adjacent the end of thelatter. farthest re moved from the pivot ID, with the member 9restrained to limited sliding or pivotal movement on a fixed horizontalplane. This arrangement places the strains and stresses developed by thetendency of the roller I5 to move irregularly up and down on track it,on the roller itself which in being resilient is inherently yieldableand is not damaged, and places the strain on the rigid bar 2! withoutdamaging or deranging the drive mechanism or motor.

Con-

at its ends to said base for preventing vertical f and angular movementof said member out of a 1 horizontal plane.

2. Friction drive mechanism as set forth in claim 1 and in. which saiddrive mechanism supporting member is formed as a plate pivoted at oneside on the base for movement in a plane parallel to the surface of thebase, and said rigid restraining member is formed as a bar extendingacross said plate along a line spaced from the pivotal axis of saidplate.

WILLIAM ODENTHAL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 506,237 Kinsman. Oct. 10, 1893705,636 Birnbaum July 29, 1902 1,290,712 Capps Jan. 7, 1919 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 585,211 Germany Sept. 29, 1933

